ATU participated in the starlight parade this year

Interestingly the main stream media coverage of the event didn't say a word about it

It appears that Bruce Hansen was missing

One of the most fascinating pieces of Portland/Trimet propaganda I have ever seen

The video below the break was posted via the tweeter feeds. This was posted by SQUID VICIOUS on his feed then promptly re-posted on JOE ROSES feed. (mainstream media)

 "Squid Vicious" is allegedly a Trimet bus driver. Nothing negative about Trimet ever appears on his feed. Interestingly he is also a PHOTOGRAPHER.

Anyway that video was fascinating. There were so many subliminal messages (actually they weren't even subliminal, it was clearly  connecting future 'progress' with the Trimet. I use 'the' Trimet because Trimet  is not a person, its an institution) in that video I felt compelled to look into its source who turns out to be UNCAGE THE SOUL . (how's that for 'new age'). "Uncage The Soul" turns out to be  a for profit media company with some sort of association with OFF THE WALL MEDIA . 

So now we know that 'someone' (or multiple) people or organizations paid for this production. I don't think it takes an genius IQ to see that TRIMET definitely had a hand in this video.
Just watch those obvious Trimet subliminal messages  that flash across that video, they are quite stunning are they not? The video effects in this production are quite exceptional.

What a joke

All MAX lines delayed due to mechanical issue. Expect up to 20 minute delays through 7:30 p.m.

— TriMet (@trimet) May 31, 2015

Trimet's disabled fare increase was unnecessary, immoral and illegal

OPAL has consistently been correct in every single issue that they have called Trimet out on. 

They have gotten ZERO credit from mainstream media for all the work they have done on the subject of Trimet. 

Here we see once again they are calling out another batch of Trimet bullshit

Trimet bus drivers Joe Rose cartoon

A #trimet driver came up with this Joe Rose cartoon pic.twitter.com/aleloT9JTV

— AL M (@AlYourPalster) May 29, 2015

Trimet ignored the public comments-as usual

Dozens if not hundreds spoke against the disabled fare increase. And we all knew how that was going to go didn't we?

Click for better viewing

Trimet singing bus driver!

Driving transit is the #1 most depressing job

7 most depressing jobs. Transit operator is #1 #trimet pic.twitter.com/mc3QKP95h8

— AL M (@AlYourPalster) May 29, 2015

Article Here!

Trimet safety fail

The MAX driver that hit the police car had no idea how fast he was going when the accident occurred. Who's at fault?

The speedometer pictured is from @trimet car 118, the same one that crashed into the @PortlandPolice car last week. pic.twitter.com/xP5Aqks3iv

— Lane Jensen (@lanejensenpdx) May 29, 2015

This is why I think Bruce Hansen was conned

Pay close attention to what Joe Rose writes. He's the main reporter for this area and he gets almost all of his information from Trimet. Look at the latest story, which mimics his last story:

It should also be mentioned that more than $50.7 million in the budget will help pay a mammoth bill (the word "mammoth" is inserted to exert emotional influence on the reader and it is definitely politically motivated)  for promised retirement benefits that's coming due. 
The agency has about $950 million in unfunded liabilities for the health benefits of current and future retirees.(not that is just a downright lie. The last time I looked at the figures presented to the Trimet board it was more in the area of $650million)  TriMet also hopes to pay for about $274 million in pension liabilities over the next 13 years. (see how Rose has now brought that BILLION dollar figure back into the mainstream. Once again its politically motivated. This story is once again painting the employees as the enemy)

TriMet officials expect the budget to help pay down the pension debt but the not the health-care liabilities, which they expect to decrease under the new union contract.(see how he is putting forth the argument that our health care cuts were not sufficient whatsoever.)

This is the exact same wording that was used BEFORE the new contract. Joe Rose has not mentioned that Mcfarlane himself has called the new labor contract sustainable. Joe Rose keeps talking that the employee cost is unsustainable. He is directly quoting what Trimet officials are telling him.

I don't like to blow my own horn but I called the benefit cutbacks about 2 years before they were actually proposed. It is my opinion, based on my experience and knowledge following the Trimet executive culture, that Trimet will be back for more cuts in the next contract. And they will use all the same language.

Bruce Hansen was conned and it will cost the rest of us real money. 

The mainstream media tells us the story of the Oligarchs and their intentions.

Who's splitting the votes anyway?

One of the main arguments against voting for Chris Day is that it will 'split the votes and give Jon Hunt a victory'

So it appears that the fear of Jonathan Hunt is so substantial that everyone should vote for Dan Martin just so Jonathan Hunt doesn't get back into office.

All I can say to that is WHAT THE FUCK? 

Why would Dan Martin be the candidate of choice, why not Chris Day.

I say vote a vote for Dan will put Jonathan back in office.

(I'd rather have Jonathan over Dan anyway)

 

Joe Rose's pro Trimet anti union latest Trimet article

TriMet's $510 million budget restores MAX service, but raises fares on disabled and elderly | OregonLive.com

Consuelo Saragoza leaves the Trimet board

She was a nice enough lady. Seemed like she missed a lot of board meetings and she didn't have much to say at the  meetings. 

I think she cared about people but she towed the party line, always. (the party line is saying yes to everything the general manager asks you to)

She was a co-conspirator in the scheme to  give  Mcfarlane and his staff those 'secret' raises in 2012.
This was  at the exact same time that Trimet cut service, raised fares and scapegoated its union employees

Here she is getting  an award for her service, they always give each other awards.

Chris day outlines his accomplishments in this video

Trimet light rail fails continue

2 new board members that don't know anything about transit of course

An HR person and a corporate lawyer. Wonderful.
Below the break they introduce themselves

Martin, a Tualatin resident, is a specialist in Fred Meyer Inc.’s Human Resource Department. She fills the vacant District 3 position representing Southwest Portland.

Lori Irish Bauman, a Southeast Portland resident, is an attorney with the law firm Ater Wynne LLP.

Vote Neil Berlin ATU757 executive board

Vote Neil Berlin #atu757 executive board #trimet pic.twitter.com/WMsdNfomF2

— AL M (@AlYourPalster) May 27, 2015

WOW, Trimet really is a Trimess

This is happening every day now.

Block/ Hunt/Longoria explain their position on the contract

Click to enlarge

Bruce Hansen totally ignores Trimet retirees

This is directly from his website:

Click on the pic for better viewing

Of course he would fail to bring up the subject of the Trimet retirees.

He completely threw all of us under the bus!

He might have been able to ignore the Trimet retirees during the contract vote but the Trimet retirees actually get a vote in this upcoming election!

If retirees vote for Bruce we  will have no voice when the next contract comes up!
He documents this fact himself!

Who I am voting for in the upcoming ATU757 election and why

It's no secret I am pretty disgusted with our current union leadership. The current leadership voluntarily gave back all the gains that our union had made over the last 30 years. This was after 5+ years of fighting to keep these gains intact and a year of extra union dues which was supposed to help in the fight.

Meet Trimet's brand new Type 5 light rail train!

It's so dead it had to be towed back to the shop!

Trimet is really opening a new max line?

They can't run what they got now and here they are trying to expand.

Classic Tweets

man was standing in the middle of the road waving hatchet at bus driver http://t.co/Bh6JILJkrJ last night #trimet

— TriMet Scanner (@trimetscanner) May 23, 2015

"@trimetscanner: man was standing in the middle of the road waving hatchet at bus driver." Another satisfied #trimet customer.

— Ron (@TelemachusRome) May 23, 2015

Jack Newberry makes reccomentation to dispatch

Trimet dispatch here

Friday before a long weekend and Trimet rail programs are failing miserably

Trimet bus driver gets spit on

Seems like an awful lot of violence directed at Trimet bus drivers recently. What's going on?

TRIMET DISPATCH HERE
And it was another fare dispute
PART 2 HERE 
 These drivers just don't get it.
How sorry I am for them, making an already hard job even harder by their own actions 

Trimet's white elephant

Transit agencies find it easier to blame the bus driver than fix the problem

Sandi Day was the victim of poor engineering

Operators involved in fatal incidents are greatly impacted, routinely seeking professional help to cope with the experience. Many are so devastated that they never get behind the wheel again.

We have enough experience with this issue, however, to know that simply “throwing the book” at drivers, regardless of their culpability, will do nothing to correct the problems that lead to accidents in the first place.

The usual Trimet problems

Be on the lookout for this transit criminal

The finger is always pointed at the operator when things go wrong

Driving any sort of transit means that your life is always on the line. If something goes wrong those in charge are always thinking of ways to blame the operator. Institutional safety hazards are routinely ignored and the blame is ALWAYS pointed at the driver. Weather its a bus, streetcar, or heavy rail its always the drivers fault when things go wrong.

Who’s to Blame for Amtrak 188? | Jacobin

Who will be the first Trimet bus driver to get killed over a fare?

Keep up this behavior Trimet drivers and maybe you will win the contest to be the first Trimet bus driver to get killed over $2.50.
 This bus driver got punched in the face over it.

Trimet dispatch here!

Trimet drivers vs Trimet drivers

The pressure that Trimet drivers exist under causes these kind of events in the workplace. The fault for these sorts of events lies squarely with bad management

Trimet operator gets death threat

TRIMET DISPATCH HERE

Defamation vs Opinion

Publicly calling someone a 'stalker' when they know its false is defamation

Certain people, who have made themselves quasi 'public figures' by running a public blog which specializes in attacking other people, like to throw around words like "defamation" or "slander" or "libel".

Interestingly enough I myself have sought legal advice in regards to filing a lawsuit against this person. This is a  problematic approach to deal with an irritating character who derives some sort of bizarre pleasure from attacking people they don't like.

TRIMETIZED!

Everyone who uses public transit knows full well that it can be a trying emotionally exhausting endeavor. Here are a sampling of  tweets from people who have been TRIMETIZED by the Portland area transit system knows to the locals as the TRIMESS (trimet). Don't forget to check TRIMETSCANNER for the real low down at Trimet

Neil Berlin running for Light Rail executive board

I would definitely vote for this guy if I could.
"How stands the day?"

In case you can't read that this is what it says:

-Trimet wouldn't know the truth even if they just made it up!
-Trimet abuses contractual rights in safety, discipline, seniority and benefits
-Trimet is negligent with the priority repairs of operators seats,mirrors, monitors etc etc
-Trimet is not scheduling regular cleaning of operator cab interiors and refuses to provide gloves, masks, sanitizer and first aid supplies.
-Trimet is encouraging unethical treatment of personnel
-Trimet is grossly negligent in allowing only train recovery in the paddle scheduling
-Trimet is corrupting The National Safety Councils guidelines in regards to the rights of operators when it comes to accident reviews.
-Trimet is indifferent to the unsanitary conditions at operator layovers and rest room facilities 

BBQ time at Merlo Garage

It appears that the Block/Hunt/Longoria consortium attempted to stage a barbecue at the Merlo garage for operators as part  of a campaign event. Robert Romo, the station manager, told them to leave. Apparently tempers flared but in the end the event was ended at the garage.

The whole barbecue was then moved to Beaverton Transit Center where it continued apparently until the food ran out.

There is also some discussion that these sorts of events violate union/labor law rules. Trimet is responsible for enforcing these rules apparently.

Cameron Whitten incident

This is another example of the useless Oregonian covering an incident that has no actual reason to be in the news.

My guess is because it makes the streetcar operator look bad. And we all know that the Oregonian loves covering stories that make Trimet union employees look bad.

The bottom line in this story is that the operator had the right to ask Mr Whitten to leave him alone. Mr Whitten did not comply. The streetcar operator had him removed, which is his right.

Mr Whitten was then given an citation, unjustly,  which I am totally against. The DA did the right thing dismissing the charges. The whole thing is another tempest in a teapot and has no business in the local newspaper. Mr Whitten tried to play the race card here. Sorry, I listened to the audio, race had nothing to do with the operator asking him to leave. I don't know about the cops motivations however.
Portland Streetcar trespassing charge against community advocate Cameron Whitten is dismissed | OregonLive.com

Trimet being its fascist self

Trimet is taking "public comment" on its intent to raise fares for the disabled. We all know that nobody is going to be in 'favor' of raising fares to the disabled. We also know that plenty of people have spoken up against this unjust fare increase. 

What the public thinks is of no relevance to the Trimet executives. Its strictly cosmetic. Just like that "name the bridge" contest was.

There are 100+ six figure executives working in offices at Trimet. And here these people are trying to squeeze every penny out of the poorest people in the Trimet service area. What a disgrace this transit agency is.

Steve Novick on the new light rail line

Jeff Merkley on the new light rail line

Tempers flare at Trimet rail

It gets heated over there especially when the shit has been hitting the fan for awhile

Mcfarlane talks about the Orange line

Don't let this happen to you!

These are the kind of things that can happen to bus drivers without warning!

Don't believe the hype

We all know how all Portland area citizens have been barraged for months (actually years) on the wonderfulness of the new light rail project.
Blah Blah Blah.

Mainstream media in this area will not cover any dissenting opinions on this topic. Only glowing gushy praise of the most idiotic sort is allowed when it comes to Trimet light rail projects. We all know the local government basically controls the mainstream media here in Portlandia.

How do people really feel about the project? Here is a sampling of comments from the only newspaper in town. And its not the government paradigm. Sure there are some positive but the majority are not exactly complimentary

Erik gives the Trimet salute

More garbage from the queen of crazy, Ellen Fox

Ellen is an 'emotional vampire'

Oh Ellen, you're so predictable and so full of hatred.
What happened to you anyway? Did you have some sort of traumatic childhood experience that deeply affected you? Something must have happened because you are so off the wall.

Here's her latest nonsense about me.

Look at all the rusted out boats they got along 17th

It's Trimet "art"

Trimet's sustainable trackway

Consists of one block of track that has some grass planted in the middle

Video of the full ride on the $1.5 billion orange line

Video is by Bob Richardson, the guy that threw me off Portland Transport for calling him a blog Nazi. These folks at Portland Transport are very sensitive to any criticism and 100% apologists for the Portland Light Rail Mafia 
(you can hear the party of the oligarchs going on in the background) 

Longest pedestrian bridge in the world

The Poughkeepsie Bridge
The bridge has been transformed into a 1.25-mile pedestrian bridge

Longest Transit bridge in North America

The SkyBridge is a cable-stayed bridge in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Built between 1987 and 1989, it spans the Fraser River and connects New Westminster with Surrey.

Somebody is unhappy with "The Trimet"

Portland Oligarchs couldn't care less about the average citizen

Thousands of people need to get to work on Sunday mornings. Many of them are working class and don't have access to a car. These oligarchs and their stooges have no concern whatsoever about these people.

 Having a 'run' which the vast majority of citizens could care less about that disrupts the lives of ordinary people  is the height of disrespect. Especially since there are multitudes of locations to have a 'run' and not disrupt the lives of ordinary citizens, like the spring-water trail for example.

I just don't get why the whole city has to suffer so a bunch of obsessive compulsive people who spend a significant portion of each of their days running around in circles get to have the entire city as their track meet?

Oh yea, I forgot, its a public relations stunt, its so tourists will come here.

Everyone knows that the tourist business is more important than Joe Sixpack's life.

MLR in one minute

Guess what it looks like? It looks like every other light rail line in the country. $1.5 billion for this?

With all the hype lets put the MLR into the proper context

This is what $1.5 BILLION could have purchased

The longest non car bridge in North America?

New #trimet max bridge longest non car bridge in N America? pic.twitter.com/N6B0MtVjoI

— AL M (@AlYourPalster) May 15, 2015

Another day another max delay

The preferring of charges sabotage

On April 20^th 2015 I went down to our union office to serve a Preferring of Charges towards Bruce Hansen, Jonathan Hunt and Mary Logoria. I brought 5 copies of the charges to the union hall. The secretary was there to receive the copies. I told her 1 copy for me so she stamped it received and gave me that back. Then the next copy was for the office so she wrote office on top and stamped that received. We then continued with Bruce, then Jon and then Mary. Each one she wrote the person’s name up top and stamped received. At that point I considered the charges as being served.

Bruce sent Larry Hanley (International President) a letter with questions about the Preferring of Charges along with a copy of the charges. In this letter Bruce states that the office has been served and as of current no member being charged has been served.

Oligarchs and their stooges ride the $1.5 billion light rail

Fortunes were made off this project

Most likely the one and only time any of them will ever ride this line. The pro Trimet propaganda keeps flying
(they did allow some of the activists to ride but Joe Public has to wait till Sept 12)

April's weird TriMet service alerts

NOTE: Many of these alerts were written by dispatchers who are not expected to be language experts, may not have time to proofread, and make mistakes like all humans.  They may have many other tasks in progress at the moment, such as dealing with buses that are already stuck due to the blockage or situations elsewhere.  While those errors probably should be forgiven, they can cause confusion or problems for those who try to follow them.

ATU757 CAMPAIGN POSTERS

I will update this post as more posters become available
(the comments are just my dealings with these folks)

More Trimet hype destroyed

All the never ending false propaganda pumped out by Trimet is just plain false. 

6% of Portland area citizens commute via Trimet. 

At least its better than LA.

Source here

MAX operator on his last nerve